Piston-vane



J. D. CARROLL.

PISTON VANE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-20, I9I9.

1,354,281 Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Jaim j] Qymzz, y WV W.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoH D oA'RRoLt, or'wnsr LAFAYETTE. INDIANA, AssIcNoR T0 TURBO ROTARY ENGINE coIvIrANY, or EvANsvILLR, INDIANA, A coRroRA'rIoN on INDIANA.

PIs'roN-vANE.

Specification of Iletters I atent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920'.

Application fileaiamm 20, 1919. Serial No. 272,021.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. JOHN D. CARROLL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at West Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piston-vanes,- of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to piston vanes or blades of the type employed in steam and gas engines of the rotary and oscillating expansion type. A difficulty hitherto experienced in engines of these types has been to secure a substantially steam-tight joint between the edges of thepiston vaineor blade and the walls of the cylinder or cylinder and piston drum with which the ed es are in,

slid'ing eontact; A further difli'culty which has been experienced has grown out of the excessive wear on the edges of the piston vane, which soon results in leakage of the motive fluid,- requiring the renewal of the joint packing devices. In the production of the present invention, the chief objects I have had in View are, first, to provide a piston vane or blade that will effectively hold the motive fluid within the expansion chamber during the period of ex ansion and prevent leakage of the same; and, second,-toprovide in a piston vane improved packing that will not only prevent leakage, but will reduce wear and" will automatically take up the latter so as to maintain a steam tight fit notwithstanding such wear as may take place. iththese and other objects in view, which will appear in the following detailed description, the invention consists in the improved structural features hereinafter described in one practical and approved form, and definitely pointed out in the claims I hereun'toappended.

. Referrin 'to the accompanyi drawing, wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of'tl'ie invention which has been found in practice to yield satisfactory results Figure 1 is a planview of the outer edge of the piston vane, that is, the edge Which travels in sliding Contact with the curved interior wan or the cylinder; 7

Fig. 2 is a slde elevation of the same,

' broken awayand partly insection, and illus trating my improved packing strips and their controlling means;

Fig. 3 is a side edge view of the piston vane as seen from the right of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5' are sectional views. in planes at right angles to each othenthrough a portion of the engine cylinder. piston drum, driven shaft and bearing boss, illustra'ting the relation of the piston vane to those parts with which it immediately cooperates.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates the circular wall of he cylinder, within which is r'otatab'ly mounted a drum 11, one end wall of which is keyed to the driven shaft 12, this latter being journaled in a stationary bearingboss 13 integral with one end wall of the cylinder. Mounted at in trva-ls in the cylindrical portion of the drum 11 are rockers or swivel-blocks 14 that are slotted lengthwise toreceive the piston blades or vanes 15, which latter are rotatably mounted on the bearing boss 13 through the agency of eccentric straps or bearing rings 16'. The features thus far.

described are broadly common to engines of the general type referred to, and for a detailed description thereof reference may be had to Letters Patent No. 1,320.531 granted to me on the 4th day of November, 1919.

Describing now the novel improvements with which the present invention is concerned, these relate to structural features of the piston vanes or blades, and more particularly the packing features thereof, and are best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. By reference to these views it will be seen that the blade proper 15, which is a flat rectangular member having both a sliding and oscillating engagement with the" rocker 14, is formed with longitudinally channeled outer and side edges 16 and 17 respectively. At spaced intervals in the bottom of the outer edge channel 16 are sockets 18 in which are seated coil compression springs 19; and above these springs are slid'ably mounted in the sockets a corresponding series of pins 20. Within the outer edge channel 16' is mounted with a snug, sliding lit a metal packing strip 21, the lower edge of which rests on the outer endsv of the pins 20. Among the'novl' struc whereby each endof each strip may move tural features of this packing strip 21 may be mentioned, first, longitudinal grooves or channels 22 in its outer edge, whereby the outer or bearing surface of the strip is formed to present comparatively sharp 118,1? row"be ar1ng edges 23 wh ch I have found in practice afford a more perfect steam joint than a single bearing surface of the full width of the packing strip. The strip 211s further provided with a series of relatively small holes 24 extending from the bottom of the grooves 22 through the under side of the strip. These holes, as the outer edge of the vane sweeps across the steam' intake port, permit the steam to pass instantly to the under side of the strip, thus balancingthe steam pressure on the latter and preventing it from being driven by the steam pressure wholly'within the outer edge of the blade itself duringits travel across the intake port.

In the bottoms of the side channels 17 are formed similar sockets 25 in which are seated compression springs 26 acting upon pins 27 that in turn thrust outwardly the side edge packing strips 28 that are mountedin the side channels 17 with a snug sliding fit.

- inner ends of the side edge channels 17.

These side strips 28 serve to maintain a steam tight fit of the side edges of the piston vane with the web members of the drum 11 in the present case, or with the end walls of the cylinder in other types of engines which employ piston blades of this character. It will be observed with referenceto Fig. 2 that the outer end channel 16 and the sidechannels 17 merge into each other behind the outer and side packing strips, as shown'by with the walls engaged thereby.

the rounded portions 33 in Fig. 2, whereby steam passing through the holes 24 of the outer strip'finds access in rear ofthe side strips .28 and cooperates with the springs 26 in maintaining the latter in snug contact The packing strips described are preferably ofmetal, and it'will be noted that they are capable of perfect self-adjustmentto both the circumferential and side walls which they engage. This result is secured partly bymaking the side and end strips independent and partly by elastically supporting them at-separated points along their length,

inwardly oroutwardly independentlyof the other end. The provision of means whereby the pressure of steam at the intake port may instantlyreach and-act upon theinnenor under sides of the packing strips is of great importance in the way of preventing accidental leakage past the outer edges of the packing strips, and constitutes an important feature of the present invention. 7

It will be manifest that the benefits and advantages secured by my invention are not dependent wholly upon the employment of all the detail structural features herein shown and described, and that the latter are capable of modification and Variation without involving any departure from the principles involved or sacrificing any of the results and advantages secured. Hence, I do not limit the invention to the specificdetails shown and described for'purposes of' illustration, except to the extent clearly indicated in specific claims.

I claim: I 1. A piston vane having'a channeledouter edge and formed with sockets in the bottom wall of said channel, springsseated in said sockets, thrust pins alsov seated in said sockets and pushed outwardly by said springs, and a packing strip mounted in said channel with its inner edge lying in contact with the outer ends of'saidpins. 2. A piston vane'having a channeled outer edge and formed with sockets in the bottom walliof said channel, springs seated in said sockets, thrust pins also seated in said sockets and: pushed outwardly by said springs, and a packing strip mounted in said channel with its inner edge lying in contact with the outer ends of said pins, said packing strip being transversely apertured between its outer and inner edges :to admit steam behind the same;

edge, in combination with a packing strip mounted 111 said channel, the outer or bearmg edge of said-packing strlp'being longi- 3. Apiston vanehaving a channeled outer tudinally grooved and said packing strip be- I ing provided with one or more apertures extending from the bottom of said groove to the inner edge of the strip to admit steam behind the same, and springs behind said packing strip urging the same outwardly.

- 44 A piston vane having a channeled outer edge and formed with sockets in the. bottom wall of said channel, springs seated insaid sockets, thrust'pins also seated. in said sockets and pushed outwardly by said springs, and a packing strip mounted insaid channel, the outer or hearing edge'of said packing stripbeing longitudinally grooved and said packing strip being provided with one or more apertures extending from the bottom of said groove to the inner edge of the strip.-

5. A piston vane having channeled outer and side edges, packing strips fitted insaid channels respectively and formed with overlapped end portions, at the meeting ends of said strips, springs seated in said channels and urging. said; strips outwardly, and

springs acting upon the inner ends of the side strips in the direction of the length of the latter.

6. A piston vane having a channeled outer edge and formed with a plurality, of spaced sockets in the bottom Wall of said channel, springs seated in said sockets, thrust pins also seated in said sockets and pushed outwardly by said springs, and a metal packing strip fitted in said channel With its inner edge lying in contact with the outer ends of said pins, said packing strip having a series of apertures between its outer and inner edges extending substantially the full length of said packing strip to admit steam behind the same.

7. A piston vane having a channeled outer edge and formed with a plurality of spaced sockets in the bottom wall of said channel, springs seated in said sockets, thrust pins also seated in said sockets and pushed outwardly by said springs, and a metal packing strip fitted in said channel and thrust outwardly by said pins, the outer edge of said packing strip being longitudinally grooved to provide a pair of relatively sharp hearing edges, and said packing strip having a series of apertures between the bottom of said groove and its inner edge extending substantially the full length of said packing strip and serving to admit steam behind the same.

JOHN D. CARROLL. 

